Just watch one of the Girl Effect’s videos, and you will be moved by this organization’s message—that girls are the most powerful force of change in the world.
RGHA too believes in the power of young women to have significant positive impacts on their communities. Three years ago in Pampas Grande, University of Richmond students saw leadership qualities in Leidi, a high school student. The students met Leidi when she performed songs to welcome and thank RGHA for visiting Pampas Grande. Later in the week, during UR student-led discussions in the Pampas Grande high school, Leidi courageously voiced her concerns about her community and how it could be improved. A year later, in a UR student-led interview, Leidi expressed her desire to go to college to study music, and then return to Pampas Grande to be a teacher and a leader in her community.
Led by 2011 University of Richmond graduate MaryGrace Apostoli, RGHA raised enough funds to pay for Leidi's tuition at Jose Maria Arguedas' National Superior School of Folklore in Huaraz, Peru, to which she is expected to apply upon her high school graduation in December. If accepted to the program, Leidi will be the first person in her family to leave Pampas Grande to pursue higher education.
RGHA is looking to continue its investments in girls' potential to create positive outcomes for themselves and their communities. Projects involving microcredit loans and other entrepreneurial aid for women are in the works, so keep an eye out for updates.
Note: Although RGHA believes in the transformative power of young women, it is not officially involved with the Girl Effect or the Nike Foundation.
